1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus and method for storing and supplying a ribbon containing ink in a system used for printing information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Documents such as checks from a person's checkbook are manufactured and processed by banking institutions using Magnetic Image Character Recognition (MICR) ink. The present method of storing and delivering ribbon containing MICR ink that is coated on substrate surfaces and then wound on a take-up spool for disposal has many problems. Before placing a ribbon wound on a core in the printing machine, an operator at the printing site inserts a mounting spool with proper alignment into the core using care not to move or telescope the rolled ribbon. This is accomplished using manual pressure. Providing pressure on the mounting spool while holding the ribbon roll may distort the edges of the tape resulting in uneven accumulation on the take-up spool that affects the operation of the printing mechanism and can cause temporary equipment failure.
Mishandling the ribbon leader strip during insertion of the spool may also result in destroying part of the ink surface that causes misprinting and affects quality of the product. The present ribbon supply spool provides only partial radial support on one side to contain the ribbon roll. Therefore exposure to temperature or humidity extremes can distorted the rolled ribbon that would not align correctly during cooling.
To prevent various designs of stored ribbon spools from unraveling during handling or use, tension devices such as springs are mounted to contact one position on the spool, ribbon, or mounting shaft. Because of single point contact on a ribbon edge or shaft, the tension of many of these devices is not constant as the ribbon is depleted. Many tension mechanisms are complicated and do not aid in maintaining the supply spool ribbon shape during operation or storage.
Prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,303, uses a ribbon cartridge employing two separate ribbon supplies and contains the take-up reel in a single cartridge. The design combines the supply and take-up operations on different elevations to contain both the entire supply and take-up amounts on separate reels. U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,953, a dispensing tape cartridge, teaches a tape guide that provides high pressure so the tape can be reversed in direction to unroll, re-roll or cut to remove printed indicia. This is similar to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,930,465 and 3,127,989 where high pressures on the tapes provide cutting or removing imprinted tape.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,294,228; 3,627,118; 4,557,617; Japanese Patent 60-18373; and IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 25, No. 12, page 6676 and 6677 indicate various methods of providing tension on ribbons in cartridges. U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,056; 4,557,617; and 5,269,612 provide supply and take-up on the same reel.
The present invention solves the above stated problems for a MICR ribbon system and can also be used in other printing devices and methods employing ribbons and tapes.